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The Sultans of Swing

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A year ago I probably could not have identified Oman on a map .   Sad? Maybe. But true, yes.   And I know I’m not the only one.   When I mentioned to friends back home that we were planning a trip to Oman, I got a few of the following, “But I thought you lived in Oman” or “Is that a city in Amman?” or “Really!?! Where is that?” Oman borders the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Yemen.  I t’s kind of the wall flower at the party – nothing flashy like Dubai, and no international conflicts or humanitarian crises like in Saudi Arabia or Yemen.   Oman is a laid back, oil rich country with a striking geography, and really, if you’ve ever considered going to Dubai, you should cross that off and put Oman on your list.   If Dubai is Las Vegas, Oman is Santa Monica, the Grand Canyon and Palm Desert rolled into one. … and then some. Oman is a Sultanate, ruled by...you guessed it, a Sultan, not a Sultan of Swing , just a Sultan. What is a Sultanate?   And how is it different fro
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Ahlaan wasahlaan (welcome to Jordan)

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Yes, we've decided to do that thing I swore we wouldn't do... the family blog. First and foremost, it's a place for us to remember our time here. Even if no one reads it, this will serve as a sort of scrapbook for us.  But there are a few people, mostly family probably, that want to hear more than our (Amanda's) frequent posts on Facebook and we can use this blog to explain things in more detail.  Also, as my friend Jennifer said to me the other day, there are things that we see and experience every day here that are beginning to seem ordinary to us, but they're not ordinary. We are living in the middle of the Middle East, and we are getting to know this country and region in a way few people will ever get to and so we'll try to share some of the more interesting things, or our piece of the Middle East. We've been living here in Amman for just over two months now, six months for Preston, and we are officially now past the honeymoon period where everything
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